Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think a PhD can work against someone in the business world. Unless you want to go into academics, it would be better to have an MBA and the worth of that could even be questioned in this economy. Regarding international relations as you know there are way more jobs in DC for someone who has that background.
I wouldn't say that a PhD can work against someone in the business world. That might be true for lower or mid-level management type positions, but a lot of the major consultancies, think tanks, and government agencies look for PhD graduates in all disciplines. It's certainly much more valuable than an MBA in any of those organizations. For people with a PhD, "this economy" is hardly an issue. In fact, the financial crisis has led to the openings of a lot of new positions in government agencies and financial institutions for people who can offer their expertise in dealing with the complicated legal issues that have arisen over the past five years.
As for the Chicago vs. DC and Boston question, I don't think that's really relevant until after you have your degree. If you like Chicago and want to live here, graduate school is the perfect time to do that. Chicago has a much lower cost of living than DC and Boston, making it friendly to the student budget. It is quite possible that you'll need to move to a different city after you graduate, or temporarily during school if you're working as an intern somewhere. The firms around the country that employ people of such expertise usually have no problem flying you out for interviews or providing relocation assistance. On the other hand, Chicago has plenty of its own positions for someone looking at the intersection of academia and business, so it's not like you'll really be sacrificing your professional life to attend school here.
...
-Between U of C and Northwestern, which one has more rep in Chicago and around the world? I know they are great schools, but I'd like to know which one has better alumni and connections.
Overall equally respected in Chicago, but it really depends on what for global reputation. Finance? UC Marketing? NU Public Administration? UC Journalism? NU Sociology or Anthropology? UC Music? NU ... and so on. Do your own research in your own field.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-How far are these schools from the city center?
Northwestern is about 12 miles from the Chicago Loop, but walking distance to downtown Evanston, which is one of the nicer, more urban suburbs, and you can easily take the 'L' in about 50 minutes or the commuter rail (Metra) in about 30 minutes to downtown Chicago UC is about 6 miles, and you can take Metra in about 20 minutes or express buses in 20-30 minutes or a fairly long walk to the 'L' ends up taking about 45 minutes to downtown if including walking times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-As a grad student, can I live decently on $3000 per month?
Yes, that's entirely reasonable as long as that doesn't have to cover tuition. You could probably survive on half that if you absolutely had to and was willing to survive a little commute to school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-How is the job market for a Phd holder in Foreign Affairs/Politics/International Relations outside accademics?
I have no idea. There are jobs available for that sort of background, but not nearly as many as Washington or New York would have, let alone Geneva or The Hague.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-How expensive is public transportation, is it monthly or daily subscription?
Monthly CTA (bus and 'L' rides) is $100. If you live within walking distance of the school and daily needs, you'd probably save money just paying for rides as you go when you need to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-What do you love most about Chicago?
I don't know that I appreciated the wide range of good ethnic foods here until I moved to Boston. Boston has some, too, but fewer and not as good quality. I also like the lake in the summer and the theatre scene and the quite capable transit. I also didn't appreciate how well-run the CTA is until I lived n Boston for a time. The MBTA SUCKS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-What do you hate most apart from the weather?
I don't hate much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-If you are a transplant, do you intend to leave? If yes, why?
I grew up in Oregon and have lived near Washington and am in Boston until mid-May, when I'll return to Chicago. I may leave Chicago if my significant other gets a great professor job in a major city, or if I need to move near my parents as they age, but otherwise I don't have any plans to leave.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-Is the city friendly for young professional girls in early 20s?
Very.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-Which area has the most number of churches? Are people spiritual?
Some are, some aren't. Chicago is historically a pretty Catholic city from the Italians and the Irish and the Polish. But today it's a mixed bag - some people are, many people aren't. I tend to know a lot more tech people, who as a rule are not particularly spiritual, but if you are religious that's fine with most people as long as you're not dogmatic about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-I learnt that Atlanta doesn't have enough well off single men . Is the situation better in Chicago?
Most cities have more successful women than men, but Chicago is better balanced than New York and, perhaps, Atlanta.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerceydesGal
-I like inter racial relationships. Are those common in Chicago? If yes, what combination is the most common?
I don't know that I'd say they're *common* but they're not uncommon. White-Latino is probably the most common, if you consider that inter-racial. White-Asian is probably second-most common, or maybe Black-Latino, especially among the Puerto Rican or other Carribbean groups. Black-White is less common than some places, but it's not shockingly rare or anything like that - out of my 20 or so immediate coworkers who are married or in long-term relationships, one is a white guy with a black wife, one is a white guy with a latino wife, and I'm white with an asian partner. I've also known Asian-Black couples, too.
Chicago is not as visibly inter-racial as Atlanta or LA, and maybe others will have things to say, but it's possible here.
I wouldn't say that a PhD can work against someone in the business world. That might be true for lower or mid-level management type positions, but a lot of the major consultancies, think tanks, and government agencies look for PhD graduates in all disciplines. It's certainly much more valuable than an MBA in any of those organizations. For people with a PhD, "this economy" is hardly an issue. In fact, the financial crisis has led to the openings of a lot of new positions in government agencies and financial institutions for people who can offer their expertise in dealing with the complicated legal issues that have arisen over the past five years.
As for the Chicago vs. DC and Boston question, I don't think that's really relevant until after you have your degree. If you like Chicago and want to live here, graduate school is the perfect time to do that. Chicago has a much lower cost of living than DC and Boston, making it friendly to the student budget. It is quite possible that you'll need to move to a different city after you graduate, or temporarily during school if you're working as an intern somewhere. The firms around the country that employ people of such expertise usually have no problem flying you out for interviews or providing relocation assistance. On the other hand, Chicago has plenty of its own positions for someone looking at the intersection of academia and business, so it's not like you'll really be sacrificing your professional life to attend school here.
Yeah $3000 per month doesn't include tuition, I guess it's doable.
With no/minimal debt...yeah, easily. $1000/month for rent, maybe $250-$300/month for everything else that's not "food"...you'd have a good amount of room.
With due respect anyone that has a master's degree at 23 and only limited work experince will be a very unappealing hire for any traditional business and even many think tanks / advocacy groups would not be enthusiastic about making some one with this background part of their staff regardless of where they earn a PhD. There is no shortage of folks that really ar unlikely to be effective in advancing the general acceptance of whatever such advocacy group hopes to acheive nor would they have the kinds of experince in poltical organizing, fund raising or journalistic reporting that tend to be important to these kinds of organizations as struggle to stay alive...
If you simply ask some of your professors or classmates from the master's program you completed they would say the same thing. The decision to spend more and more time earning academic credentials really qualifies one for nothing other than a career in academia.
The relative health of economy very much has an impact on hiring. The fact is the ability of not-for-profits to add staff is largely a function of how difficult it is for them raise money and the inarguable stagnation of the general wages as well as the higher tax rates that have been enacted continue to hurt income / funding for all not-for-profits.
Of course the relative numbers of younger people unable to find work in the private sector combined with the effects if sequestration in the Federal Govvernement as well as the crisis in the funding of defined benefit pensions for public sector employees also are work against any esoteric educational background. If you have no ability to demonstrate you ability to contribute to the productivity of an organization it really makes it hard for even the most detached from reality hiring manager to bring you abroad when there are people with impressive record of accomplishments eager fill the rare role that is open...
I'll add another spin .A Ph.D. program from a top-tier academic institution requires preparation and commitment to a path that will take 5-6 years, possibly longer to complete. One will need to 'live and breathe' the discipline, and choices for applying to such programs are based on prior knowledge of the faculty , their research and reputation, and 'school of thought' within the speciality. A Ph. D. program requires lots of interaction with the department in terms of review of thesis proposals, participation in workshops, and generally associating one self with one of two faculty 'sponsors' that can make or break your completion of the program . Finally, there will be long hours spent on the disseration, and the defense . It is truly an apprenticeship for entrance into academia in a specifc discipline, as previously stated, So, if that's not the first goal for the OP, the choice of a professional program which is shorter in duration and is typically more broadly based with respect to the course of study would be more appropriate. Put it this way, if the OP can't name any current professors in the specific programs of interest and what their research areas are, that's probably a good litmus test that the program isn't for them .
I'll add another spin .A Ph.D. program from a top-tier academic institution requires preparation and commitment to a path that will take 5-6 years, possibly longer to complete. One will need to 'live and breathe' the discipline, and choices for applying to such programs are based on prior knowledge of the faculty , their research and reputation, and 'school of thought' within the speciality. A Ph. D. program requires lots of interaction with the department in terms of review of thesis proposals, participation in workshops, and generally associating one self with one of two faculty 'sponsors' that can make or break your completion of the program . Finally, there will be long hours spent on the disseration, and the defense . It is truly an apprenticeship for entrance into academia in a specifc discipline, as previously stated, So, if that's not the first goal for the OP, the choice of a professional program which is shorter in duration and is typically more broadly based with respect to the course of study would be more appropriate. Put it this way, if the OP can't name any current professors in the specific programs of interest and what their research areas are, that's probably a good litmus test that the program isn't for them .
This is generally correct, though I do want to stress that plenty of PhD holders do go on to work in the public and private sectors rather than academia. I know that McKinsey in particular loves to hire PhDs from the top humanities graduate programs. A lot of the area nonprofits and the consulting firms that support them also look for these types. However, the usual path for people who want a PhD and later to work in a consultancy or think tank is to get experience in the corporate world for a few years after college. Otherwise, they'd find themselves starting their professional lives at age 35, which has plenty of disadvantages.
A "traditional business" might not appreciate the PhD, but the traditional businesses are the ones laying people off due to bloated management structures and an inability keep up with structural economic changes.
Before I go any further into defending graduate studies, though, I'd really be interested in hearing more about what the OP wants to do with this international relations degree. In any case, my original point stands: Chicago will work just fine whether the goal is professional or academic employment.
The facts suggest that while it not impossible to hope for a career at a consulting firm after earning a PhD the talents that one hones in disciplines such the natural science and engineering are far more suited to the demands of business turn-arounds and similar challenges than those skills that one develops studying more social disciplines ....
This is generally correct, though I do want to stress that plenty of PhD holders do go on to work in the public and private sectors rather than academia. I know that McKinsey in particular loves to hire PhDs from the top humanities graduate programs. A lot of the area nonprofits and the consulting firms that support them also look for these types. However, the usual path for people who want a PhD and later to work in a consultancy or think tank is to get experience in the corporate world for a few years after college. Otherwise, they'd find themselves starting their professional lives at age 35, which has plenty of disadvantages.
A "traditional business" might not appreciate the PhD, but the traditional businesses are the ones laying people off due to bloated management structures and an inability keep up with structural economic changes.
Before I go any further into defending graduate studies, though, I'd really be interested in hearing more about what the OP wants to do with this international relations degree. In any case, my original point stands: Chicago will work just fine whether the goal is professional or academic employment.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Is the situation better in Chicago?
Need to be realisitic ...
